I Divorced Abroad and Stayed in France. It’s Cheaper to Live on My Pension Here.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Karen Anderson, 57, a Californian who moved to the UK in 2011 and now lives in a small village in northwestern France. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

I was working as a 911 dispatcher for a California police department when I met my ex-husband, who is English. After dating for a year, we got married in 2011 and eventually moved to his home country, the United Kingdom.

I wanted a different life and the chance to experience more of the world. For years, we split our time between the UK, where he worked, and France. And in 2016, we bought a house in France for €45,000 ($50,450), far less than anything we could have afforded in the UK.

At closing, I remember being handed more than 100 pages of paperwork. We were foreigners buying a home in a language we didn’t understand, so it was very scary. But our hands were held during the process.

After my divorce, I decided to remain in France

In 2021, I returned to the US to care for my mom, who had been diagnosed with cancer. After getting screened myself, I was also diagnosed, so I ended up staying in the States for about a year while undergoing treatment. During that time, I got a job at Amazon, which helped me get health coverage.

I eventually returned to Europe, but by 2023, my ex-husband and I decided to divorce. Although we were married in California, we had to divorce under French law. The process was difficult and took three years to finalize.

While the divorce was still underway, I returned to the US to see whether I could make a life there again. It took me about six months to find work, and I eventually became a flight attendant with Frontier Airlines. Unfortunately, I could only afford a twin bed in a house I shared with 13 other women, so I decided to move back to Europe.

Once our divorce was finalized, my ex-husband bought out my share of the house. This year, I bought a home of my own in France for €59,100 ($66,159). The process couldn’t have been more different from the first time around. I only had to sign three documents electronically, and that was it. The system has changed so much in less than 10 years.

For me, staying in France is really about affordability. My $900 monthly pension from my former job as a dispatcher is enough to cover my mortgage, utilities, home insurance, and car insurance.

If I were living in the US, I would still need to work just to support myself, but there aren’t many job opportunities at my age.

I live in a small, idyllic village in northwestern France

I live in Saint-Servais, a village of about 400 people in Brittany, in northwestern France, mostly known as the birthplace of crêpes. Breton has a distinct identity, and its people have their own language and traditions.

What I love most about living here is that there just aren’t as many temptations. You don’t feel the same pressure to buy material things. The lifestyle is easy and tranquil.

Saint-Servais is surrounded by farmland, with fields of maize grown for cattle feed, as well as sheep, pigs, and chickens. Despite being so small, the village has a restaurant and a church dating back to the 14th or 15th century.

There aren’t many everyday conveniences. There’s no bakery, butcher, or grocery store, so I drive about two and a half miles whenever I need to pick up groceries or fresh bread, which is important to me.

There’s no light pollution or traffic noise in Saint-Servais. I can look outside and see the stars every night of the year, which amazes me. There aren’t police sirens or much crime, either.

Like many homes in the village, mine is made of stone and, to be honest, it’s been a bit of a money pit. It’s about 732 square feet. It’s small but very cute. The ground floor is underground, and the two bedrooms are upstairs, one of which has an ensuite bathroom. Altogether, I have three bathrooms, which is very unusual for a house this size.

Because the ground floor is underground, I have a great deal of humidity. Dampness is a real problem across Europe because of the cool, rainy climate. We get about six months of rain each year, which is very different from California.

There isn’t central heating or air conditioning in most homes here. I heat mine with a wood-burning stove, and I cut my own firewood. I could install a heat pump, which also provides cool air; it’s still relatively new. France is behind the times in some ways — we only got fiber internet in my area in the last few years.

My quality of life is better in France

In America, we live to work. In France, people work to live. The standard workweek is 35 hours, and many businesses close from noon to 2 p.m. for lunch — they take it very seriously. I came from the US, where I worked 80 to 100 hours a week at the police department. I absolutely loved my job, but it owned me.

I recently got a job as a real estate agent. I’m relatively new, and right now my hours are scattered. I’m not quite there yet on understanding how to curtail self-employment.

Europe has great healthcare. In the UK, our healthcare was covered regardless of whether you worked because of the National Health Service. France is a little different. Everyone — citizens and legal residents alike — is reimbursed for about 70% of most healthcare costs. Then you buy a top-up, or what the French call a “mutuelle,” to cover the rest.

How much you pay depends on the coverage you choose. Because I previously had cancer, I receive full coverage, and I’ve always been looked after.

The challenge, though, is access. Doctors and dentists are few and far between. My doctor is two hours away, but my local pharmacy now has a Telebox where I can have a video consultation and get advice or a prescription.

I don’t see myself moving back to the US

Living in France on my own has been a big transition — it’s not exactly the life I envisioned.

It may look like a dream to other people, but Americans don’t always see the sacrifices you make to live abroad. I don’t have my children or grandchildren nearby, and I really miss that.

At this point, I can’t imagine moving back to America. I wouldn’t be able to afford the healthcare or housing.

I’d love to have a partner again someday. Will some man whisk me away? Maybe. Maybe not. But I don’t pin my hopes on that.

For now, I have a great circle of friends, and I’m happy with the life I’ve built. France has given me the ability to enjoy life without worrying about the next paycheck or what it will afford me.